I am finally posting this flaky Chinese scallion pancake 蔥油餅 (cong you bing) recipe that I’ve researched so much about! It’s a tricky recipe that I tried to simplify for you guys. Lots of tips and tricks to achieving those yummy, flavorful, flaky layers. There are a lot of different ways to roll the dough to achieve the flaky layers too. I used to make it the “easy” way you might commonly see on the internet. Although still tasty, it just wasn’t quite flaky or light like it should be. I finally figured it out and I’m so happy to share this with you guys! I would always eat Chinese scallion pancakes in Taiwan and buy them from the street carts. It was always so flaky, flavorful, and the texture of the dough was perfect.

Some tips when making Chinese scallion pancakes:

You want to use a low gluten flour. No bread flour here!
Use hot water in the dough to minimize gluten formation and create the perfect chew.
Chill the dough. This allows the gluten to relax and you can get that nice crackly texture.
Use an oil/flour paste to achieve flaky and distinct layers.
Oil your surface, don’t use flour.
Roll out your dough as thin as possible before you add the paste and scallions.

I tried to take a photo of each step of the rolling of the dough to help you better understand what I mean in the directions. There are many different methods to forming the pancakes and I found this way to be the easiest way that still achieves all the flaky layers.

Ingredients

Dough

2 cups all-purpose flour (do NOT use bread flour)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup boiling water
1/4 cup cool water (plus more if you need, I used about 1/2 tsp more, you shouldn’t need more than this)

Oil paste/Filling

1 cup thinly chopped scallions/green onions (about 5-6 stalks)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp five-spice powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup avocado oil (or any neutral oil)
white part of the green onions cut into 2 inch strips

Dipping sauce

2 tbsp soy sauce
1-1 1/2 tbsp Chinkiang vinegar
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp water

Instructions

To make the dough, add the flour and salt in the bowl of your stand mixer (I used my KitchenAid). Stir to combine. Create a well in the center and add the boiling water. Stir with a rubber spatula until incorporated in the flour. Then drizzle in the cool water. Stir with the spatula to incorporate the flour with the water. It will be a shaggy dough. Using the kneading hook of your stand mixer, knead on speed 2 for 3 minutes, until a smooth dough forms. Check on the dough after 1 minute. If it’s too dry, add only 1/2 a teaspoon of water and continue kneading. You shouldn’t need more than that. It should only be slightly sticky. Lightly brush or spray dough ball with oil and use plastic wrap and lay it directly on top of the dough to keep it from drying out. Use a towel to cover the entire bowl. Refrigerate dough overnight for best results, or you can refrigerate it for at least an hour.
To make the oil paste, heat oil in a small saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the white part of the green onions and fry until golden. Remove from heat and discard the fried onions. In a small bowl, add the flour, five-spice powder, and salt. Stir to combine. Pour hot oil in the bowl and stir until a paste forms.
To shape and form the scallion pancakes, take dough out and let it sit on the counter for 10-15 minutes. Remove rested dough onto a clean surface. Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces. You could divide it into 4 if you want bigger ones, but I did 6. Form each piece into a ball and place back in the bowl and cover while you work with one of them. This prevents them from drying out. Lightly spray with oil your clean surface (I use avocado oil). Roll out your dough into a thin rectangle about 6×10 inches, give or take. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Try to roll it out as thin as possible without it tearing. Liberally brush on the oil paste all over the top with a pastry brush. Sprinkle on a handful of green onions all over.
Time to coil the rolled out dough. From both long ends, roll the rectangle to the center, forming a scroll. Fold on top of each other forming a long rope. Take both ends and pull gently and coil it up from both ends in opposing directions, one above and one below. See picture above for reference. Then stack each coil on top of each other. Set aside, cover, and let it rest while you do the same thing with the rest of the dough.
Take one coiled dough and flatten with your palm. Then take a rolling pin and roll it out into a pancake about 1/4 inch thick. Now you can either freeze the rolled out pancakes or cook them right away. I usually freeze most of them and cook about 2 of them. To freeze, stack the uncooked pancakes on top of each other with a layer of parchment paper in between each layer. Place in a large freezer bag and freeze for 1-2 months.
To cook the pancakes, heat a nonstick pan over medium heat. Add about 1 tablespoon of avocado oil (or any neutral cooking oil you like). Once hot, add the pancake. Cover with a lid and cook for 3 minutes, or until golden on the bottom. Then flip and cover and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Remove lid and continue cooking until both sides are nice and golden brown. This is totally optional, but before removing the pancake, you can use the edge of your spatula and poke at the pancake all over to loosen the layers. Remove from heat and serve with the dipping sauce or chili oil. Enjoy!

Servings: 6

Author: valeria.chao

Flaky Chinese Scallion Pancakes 蔥油餅 (cong you bing)